What Ever Happened Too?
by Benji The Vampire Confuser
Summary: 20 years after leaving Sunnydale, Buffy mysteriously returns, with no memory of where she's been for the past 20 years.


Whatever Happened To...

Part of the Omniverse Project

by Benji: The Vampire 

Feedback! Please!

Pretty much everyone belongs to Joss Whedon, except those that

I made up, and the X-Files and Lone Gunmen. Those are Chris Carter's.

Sunnydale California

May 28th, 2018

9:00 pm

Buffy awoke to a pounding in her head. She lay still,

groaning. She really didn't want to go into work today. The diner

was a horrible place to work. Though it was ordinary. Which was what

she wanted. And it was the only thing she could get. She sighed.

"Well," she thought. "Time for Anne to get up and-wait a minute."

Something was wrong. She wasn't sleeping in her small, cramped bed.

She was stretched out on a cold hard surface.

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up. She was in the mansion.

Where she'd-she killed that thought. But what was she doing here?

Joyce frowned blearily at the bottle. It was empty. She

briefly considered getting up to throw the offending bottle in the

trash, and then decided to just let it sit there. She didn't care.

She hadn't cared about anything for quite some time. Not since Giles

had been found dead in the cemetery, drained of his blood. Not since

Buffy's friends had all left Sunnydale. Not since she'd finally given

up hope that her daughter was coming home.

It had been twenty years since the fight she'd had with Buffy.

Since the night she'd found out what her daughter was. "If you leave

this house, don't even think about coming back." she'd said. And

apparently, Buffy hadn't.

The doorbell rang, and Joyce sat there, hoping they'd go away.

But the bell rang again, and she got up, sighing. She left the

cross she always had with her on the table. She didn't care.

Joyce didn't leave the house anymore. She had all her

groceries delivered, all during the day of course.

She sighed, almost hoping that it was a vampire on her front

doorstep. Then she could end this pathetic excuse of a life.

She opened the door.

"Mom?"

Joyce fainted.

FBI Headquarters

May 29th

9:00 am

Special Agent Alexander Harris sat staring blindly at the

report on his desk. He was dead tired. He and his partner had only

gotten back to D.C. a few hours earlier, and he had yet to sleep.

He still couldn't believe he was investigating the X-Files.

Actually he found it hard to accept that he'd even become an FBI

agent in the first place.

During his senior year, after his falling out with his friends,

he'd tried something new, distracting himself with studying. His last

minute studiousness had gotten him into G.W., where he shocked his

parents by majoring in Psychology. Being far from the distractions of

the Hellmouth, and his former friends, he managed to graduate with

high marks. Then the FBI had recruited him, and Agent Mulder,

remembering him from his trip to Sunnydale, had trained him as his

replacement. And here he was.

(AN: I wrote an X-Files Crossover that I may put on here someday.)

"And to think," he muttered. "I'd never even believed in

Aliens."

Then the door opened. And his perpetually awake partner

entered. "You're gonna hate me."

Alex sighed. "Why?"

In answer she plopped a file down on his desk. "Check out our

new assignment." Alex looked at the file and gave her a dirty look.

"I knew it. You're all out to get me."

NSA Headquarters

May 29th

9:05 am

Willow Rosenberg, assistant director of the National Security

Agency, sat at her desk, reading Rolling Stone. It was sort of a

guilty pleasure of hers. She had a subscription to the magazine, and

looked at it very carefully. There was only one reason. Oz.

When Oz had joined The Celts, she'd known. Though she could

use her position to keep close tabs on him, she respected his privacy

enough to only use normal civilian channels to keep an eye on him.

Today the Celts were on the cover. Oz was wearing the flannel

shirt that Joe had had made for him, with the pattern of his clan,

tied around his waist. She was surprised to find her eyes misting up,

when she remembered how close they'd been. He was her first love. And

you never really forget your first love. She also noticed that he was

still single.

"Excuse me, Ms. Rosenberg?" her secretary called from the

intercom. "The team you appointed to monitor the events in Sunnydale

has something to report."

"Thanks Grace." she answered. She turned to her computer,

and called up the report. And paled. "Oh my God!"

Hollywood California

May 29th

10:00 am

Daniel "Oz" Osborne stared at the headline as if it would

change. He'd been secretly subscribing to the Sunnydale Sun for years.

He hid it carefully from Joe, who never wanted to hear the name

Sunnydale again. Which was understandable, seeing as how he was now

the sole survivor of his graduating class.

He was never sure why he'd subscribed. Sunnydale, as far as he

was concerned had had only one thing going for it, and that had been

ruined with one kiss. Though it was probably more than one. He killed

that thought. He didn't like to think about that. So why had he

subscribed? He supposed it didn't matter. What did matter was what

he'd just read. Buffy Summers had returned. After being missing for

twenty years.

Cordelia Chase sat in her office, thumbing through the

portfolio of another hopeful model. She'd become the head of one of

the world's largest Fashion Labels.

Her desk phone rang, and she grabbed it up. Only two people

had the number for this phone. Her father, and Oz. She and Oz had

remained friends after the falling out between them and their other

friends.

"Hello?" she said. "Hey Oz!...well it was either you or my father,

I had a fifty-fifty shot. So what's up? You change your mind about letting

me design the outfits for the band? I told you I'd keep the Celtic theme."

"Well it's still not up to me." Oz told her. "No, actually I was

wondering if you'd seen the paper?"

"Um, no, why are you guys in it again?"

"No. Think about someone who we haven't seen in about twenty years."

Cordelia thought. "I can think of three people."

"Now narrow it down to the last person you'd expect to have show up again."

Cordy nearly dropped the phone. "Oh my God, don't tell me. She's back?

How? When? Why?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out. Want to come?"

"Back to the Hellmouth? Sure, let me drop my life and go back to a

place that nearly ended it. And failing that, tried to ruin it." Then she

sighed. "All right, I'll come. If only to keep you out of trouble."

Washington DC

Office of the Lone Gunmen

10 am.

"Hope you appreciate this Alex." a blond man named Morris said. "Way I

understand it, Mulder always respected the Lone Gunmen's need to sleep in."

"Sorry guys." Alex said. "But some things don't wait for the weary."

"So what's so important?" Martin Skorse asked. He, his girlfriend Amy,

and Morris were the heirs to the Lone Gunman, a conspiracy theory newsletter

that had been around for over twenty years. The original Lone Gunmen had

long since retired, along with Alex's predecessor Fox Mulder.

"Buffy's back." Alex said simply.

"What?!" Amy and Martin exclaimed.

"Who's Buffy?" Morris asked.

"Long story." Alex said.

"Old friend of Xander's, Vampire Slayer who vanished about twenty years

ago." Martin said.

"Apparently not that long."

"So," Amy said carefully. "Did you just bring that info by to inform us,

or do you want us to find something out?"

"According to the news story," Alex said. "She has no memory of where

she's been. Or what happened."

"You think she was abducted?" Martin said incredulously. "Now that would

be ironic wouldn't it. After all the demons and vampires that tried to take her

out, it's finally Aliens that manage to subdue her."

"I don't know what happened." Alex said. "I want you to get into the

government's files, see if you can find anything, and I mean anything, on her.

Way Mulder told it, it sounded like they knew about every abduction that took place."

"Weren't they behind them too?" Morris asked.

"We've all given up trying to understand it." Alex grinned. "If you find

anything, let me know?"

"Where will you be?"

"Where do you think I'll be?"

Sunnydale California

May 30th

3:00 pm

Buffy stood before the plain tombstone. She'd had to work up her nerve

to come here, but here she was.

RUPERT GILES

HE GAVE HIS LIFE

SO OTHERS MAY LIVE

"I'm sorry Giles." she said softly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help

you. I should have been here. I..."

Willow wished she'd had microphones placed around the cemetery as well

as cameras. She'd give anything to hear what Buffy was saying to Giles.

Oz stood quietly nearby, not hiding, but not making his presence known

either. He didn't want to disturb Buffy in the middle of her heart to heart.

She'd probably see him when she was done.

Joyce jumped when she heard the doorbell ring. This could get to be a

strange habit, people all of a sudden coming to her door. She grabbed a cross

before answering it, somehow she cared again. Must be the return of her daughter.

She once again thought she was prepared for anything.

"Maam, I'm Special Agent Maria Nagasaki, this is my partner Agent Harris,

we're with the FBI."

"Is Buffy home?" Alex asked.

Joyce looked bewildered for a moment, still taken aback by the momentum

of all this. "Xander?"

"Hi Joyce." he said brightly. Then to his partner; "Told you the professional approach wasn't necessary."

Joyce smiled slightly. Same old Xander, sort of. "Buffy's out right

now, won't you come in? I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you."

Buffy thought she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, and

looked up. She'd thought a Vampire might be prowling around, as the sun

was beginning to set, but then she realized that it was nothing of the sort.

A redheaded man was leaning against a tree a short distance away,

his eyes fixed on her. He made no move to come near her, or run. He

just stood there. Looking at her calmly. It was the calm that allowed her

to recognize him.

She wasn't sure what to do, go to him, or leave. So she just

looked at him. After a moment, a ghost of a smile crossed his face.

"Hi Buffy." he said. "Long time no see."

"Oz." she said. "Um, how are you?"

Oz finally approached her. "At the moment, a little confused. And to be honest-"

"Angry?"

"Well I'm mostly past all that." he assured her.

"I'm not." another familiar voice said. Cordelia strode forward,

a typical Cordelia look on her face. She glowered at Buffy. "Who the

hell do you think you are?" she nearly shouted. She'd been determined to

keep control, but what she hadn't realized was just how much what had happened

had stayed with her. And only now was she letting it out, in an outburst that

surprised even her.

"Just ducking out on your friends, and your job like that? We all could

have been killed! Just like Giles!" Oz laid a hand on her shoulder to try to

calm her, but she had a good head of steam going now. "Where were you when my

life went to hell? Where were you when The Mayor tried to eat our entire

graduating class? Where were you to keep your friends, and me, from having the

mother of all fights!"

"Wha-" Buffy started, seeing that Cordelia was crying. What had happened

in the 20 years since she'd been gone? And why couldn't she remember where she'd been?

"Cordy," Oz said. "I think what happened between Xander and Willow, and us would have happened regardless of whether or not Buffy was here."

"Bullshit." Cordy snarled. "Willow confided in Buffy more than anyone else. Buffy could have stopped it."

When the front door opened, Alex stood, suddenly feeling just like he did as a teenager. Awkward.

He sure as hell hadn't been expecting Oz and Cordelia to come in with Buffy.

He'd been vaguely aware that both had been successful, their names cropped up on the news every now and then.

Buffy's eyes widened when she saw him standing there. Geez her friends were just popping out of the woodwork. When would Willow show up?

She didn't recognize the woman who now stood beside her friend. She had a

much more professional expression on her face than Xander did. With her presence to back him up, Xander seemed to fortify himself, and not look so out of place in the dark suit he was wearing.

"You already know my partner." She said, flashing her ID. "I'm Special agent Maria Nagasaki with the FBI"

Despite all, Buffy couldn't help but grin at that. "FBI?" she tried not

to laugh. "You joined the FBI?"

Xander could tell that Cordy and Oz were also having a hard time believing

it. "It gets better. Remember those agents that showed up sophomore year?"

"The X-File people?" Buffy asked. "Oh lord you're investigating the X-Files?"

"Congratulations." Xander said. "You're an X-File."

Maria had been Alex's partner long enough to recognize when he was

struggling. He didn't want to be here, especially with these two others here.

She knew a bit about his past, and that these two figured heavily into it. The guy looked fairly impassive, but the woman looked to be physically pained when she looked at him. Time to cut to the chase, and maybe get him back to the cases he was more comfortable with. Chasing Aliens.

"Twenty years ago you left your residence at ten thirty-nine pm." Maria said. "At the time you were wanted for Murder, a charge that was dropped when you were officially declared dead. No trace of you was ever found. Now, two decades later, you reappear out of the blue. With no memory of where you've been."

"I have a theory." Buffy said softly, stunned at being put on the spot

like that."

"So do we." Xander said. "But you go first."

"I think the portal that opened that night," she said. "Caused some kind

of time…thingee or something." That didn't explain why she was plunged through

it from her apartment and not at that moment.

"Could be." Xander nodded. "We'll look into that."

"Don't forget it could just be amnesia." Maria said absently, strolling

to the window. "It would be the height of irony if the Slayer were laid low by

something ordinary." She peeked out the window. "However, it looks like

there's some evidence of Alex's theory outside."

Buffy ignored the fact that this woman had just called Xander Alex, and

went to the window.

"Alex you'd better take a look at this." Maria said.

Alex, back in his element, looked out the window. "Hello Unmarked Van."

Buffy was peeking out with them. "You think I was abducted don't you." she guessed. "Unmarked vans don't show up for amnesia or time portals."

"No they don't." Alex agreed. "Stay here. Maria, let's take a look." he drew his gun.

Buffy stopped him. "Stay here?" she said. "Xander aren't you forgetting?

Me Slayer, you not. I protect you-"

"And a fine job you've been doing." Xander snapped. Then quickly he apologized. Buffy didn't even have time to be hurt. "I'm sorry." he said. "It looks like none of this is your fault. Look, if those people are who we think they are, then they know you're the Slayer. They managed to abduct you anyway. These people leave nothing to chance." Then he grinned. "But they've been underestimating us from day one."

Willow saw in the monitors that Xander, his partner, and Buffy were coming out. They must have spotted her. It was just as well. She debated getting out, but thought she'd let them come to her.

Soon, the back door was thrown open, and Xander and Maria stood outside with their guns drawn.

"FBI!" Maria shouted. "Don't move!"

Xander just gaped when he saw who was in the van. "Willow?"

"Hi Buffy!" Willow smiled brightly, waving to her.

Joyce looked at the group gathered around her. Xander and his partner

stood by the window, Buffy and Willow on the couch across from them, and Oz had

the recliner. Joyce stood off in the corner, not wanting to intrude. And Cordelia stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall, on the threshold between the living room and the entry hall.

"After you disappeared," Xander was saying. "We tried to fill in for you as best we could. We all told ourselves you were coming back. And Giles, he kept looking for you. Every rumor he heard about a girl fighting Vampires, he checked it out. Eventually we got some backup from a new Slayer.

"Things went uh, a bit south between us."

"Xander cheated on me with Willow." Cordelia broke in. "Which broke Oz's

heart too." She wasn't even looking at Xander or Willow when she said it. Or

Buffy. She was looking at Oz, as if daring him to deny how hurt he'd been.

"We managed to pull together to stop the mayor," Xander finished. "But

after graduation, well we never saw each other again. I know I haven't been back to Sunnydale since then."

The others concurred, while Buffy tried to take it all in.

"This is wrong." Buffy said. "Last I remember I went to bed in LA. There's just…this is wrong. It feels wrong. Not real."

"That's understandable." Maria said. "Alex and I have interviewed several

abductees, and they all said the same thing."

"But if I was abducted, why return me now?" Buffy objected. "It doesn't make sense!" She thought for a moment. "Is there any way to know for sure?"

Maria looked at Willow suspiciously. "There are a number of ways. Ms.

Rosenberg, is there any record-"

"I checked the day I started working for the NSA." Willow interrupted. "And stop looking at me like I'm the enemy."

"Sorry," Maria apologized halfheartedly. "But in our experience people like you ARE the enemy."

"Let's not start that debate." Alex said.

Oz was sitting quietly the whole time, then finally spoke up. "In the movies, abductees always get a tracking device implanted."

"That's right!" Xander and Willow said at once.

"Hang on," Willow said, looking like the eager young woman Buffy

remembered. She ran out to the van and retrieved a thing that looked like a

tricorder from Star Trek. "Alien abductees always have a tracking device either in their neck or nasal cavity." She explained.

"Ew." Cordelia and Buffy both said.

Willow held the tracking device up to her old friend's nose, and frowned.

"Nothing." She then moved behind her, and suddenly the thing gave off a high

pitched whine, that sounded more like a drill or something. The noise penetrated Buffy's brain, and woke something up inside her.

Buffy's eyes snapped open. It was dark, but there was a single bright

light shining down on her from above. Someone was approaching from her left,

and she strained against her restraints. A strange grey being came into view

holding something that was making a high pitched whine. It turned her head,

apparently unworried that she was awake, and moved the device into position

behind her neck.

Finally, her slayer strength proved too much for whatever was holding her

down, and she smacked the device from the…Alien's? hands. She grabbed the thing

and threw it against some machinery that two other of the creatures were trying

to activate, shorting it out.

Her memory was starting to return to her. The bright light in her apartment, the feeling of helplessness, and the sight of two of these things working on that same machinery when she was being lowered to the table. She guessed that was the control for whatever had paralyzed her.

"Normally I'm supposed to be fighting Vampires and Demons." Buffy said

glibly. "But I doubt the union will get up in arms if I start Slaying some Aliens too."

The two conscious aliens looked at each other, and turned to run. But

Buffy caught one by the throat, and held it off the ground.

"Take me home." Buffy growled. "And if you ever try to pull this stuff

on me or anyone I know again, you'll wish you'd never heard of Earth."

Buffy's Apartment

August 1

1998

Buffy sat on her bed, contemplating what had happened. Clearly her

experiences in the future had been a dream. But it had seemed so real. Could it have been a prophecy? Was she being warned about what could happen to her friends if she stayed away? Most of the details were already beginning to fade, but one thing stayed in her mind. Her friends needed her, and not just as a Slayer. Maybe she should start thinking about going home.

The End


End file.
